Fence post clip



July 1, 1941. c. GARDNER 2,247,631

FENCE POST CLIP Filed Aug. 22, 1939 INVENTOR ATTO R N EYS and over one of the fence wires. then bent around one side of the post and hooked Patented July 1, 1941 Donald 0. Gardner,- Salt Lake City; Utah,.assignor.

to The Colorado Fuel & Iron Corporation, a corporation of Colorado A plication-Au usta,1939,

c 6 Claims.

This invention relates to fence structures of the type'including posts anden'ps for securing fence wires to the posts. More particularly, the invention is concerned witnfa novel fenceineluding clips which may be a plied quickly and easily to provide permanent fastenings for'th'e wires and which are superior to'prior fence clips by. reason of their "inclusion of'a'novel feature of construction whereby the clips'may-be drawn tightlyaroun'd 'th'e'p'o'sts afte'nbeing attached thereto and thus hold the wires more securely.

Wire fences as commonly made heretofore comprise strands of wire connected to the posts by clips each of wh'ich is secured at one end to 'a po'st and extends across the front face of the post where it is passed over one of the fence wires. The clip is then drawn around totheba'ck of the post and secured thereto in any suitable manner, as by means of a hook on the clip which hooks over a part of the post. Such fences have not been entirely satisfactory heretofore because the clips cannot be tightened after they are secured to the posts,"and accordingly the fence wires are sometimes held loosely by the clips. This looseness of the wiresallows them to' rub against the posts and the clips with the result that the usual protective coating-of zinc, or the like, is worn off the wires and the clips.

The present invention, therefore-is directed. "to the provision of a novel fence which includes :a clip so constructed that it may be easily tightened around the post to the desired extent after it is secured to the post.

The new fence comprises posts each having a flange extending lengthwise thereof, and clips made of heavy wire for securing the fence wires to the posts. Each clip is secured at one end to the post and extends along the front face thereof The clip' is mered toward the side of the flange adjacent the end of the hook, it acts as a lever fulcruming on that side of the flange and about the end of the hook, thereby drawing the clip tightly around the post.

With this construction, the clip can be applied quickly and easily since it may be secured to the post loosely and then tightened to Serial No. 291,311

(c1. attest) applying the clip to the post, and

the desired extent by bending the hook around the flange. It will be apparent that the parts part of one form of the new fence;

Fig; 2 is a front view of part of the fence shown in 1; I

'Figsi' 3, 4 and 5 are horizontal sectional views similar to Fig. l-showing the various steps of Fig. 6 is a detail view of the'fence clip before it is applied to the post.-

The new fence comprises a post l0 which, as shown, has a cross section similar to the cross section of a rail and includes a web I I, a vertical flange I 2 at one end of the web forming the front face of the post, and'a vertical flange l3 at the ing them intothe ground.

On eachpost is a clip [5 made of heavy steel wire and secured at one end to thepost in any suitable manner, as bymeansof a hook I6 on the clip projecting through an opening I! in the web. The end portion of the hook lies flat against one side of the web between the flanges so. that it is protected by the flanges. From the opening [1, the clip extends around one edge of the'flange I2 and along the front face thereof where a section l8 of the clip is passed over a strand of fence wire I!) so as to hold the latter against the post. The clip is then bent around the other edge of the flange" l2 and extends along the side of the post and around the flange l3. At its end, the clip is provided with a hook 20, the end of which is seated on one side of theflange I3, as shown at 2|, and the hook is bent around this flange on the end of the hook as a pivot so that the clip is drawn tightly around the post and the hook lies generally parallel to the web. Any desired number of clips may be applied to the post, depending on the number of fence wires to be secured thereto, and the clips may be arranged in selected positions on the post because the latter is provided with a vertical row of closely spaced openings I! for securing one end of each clip.

The clip is initially in the form shown in Fig. 6,

and in applying it to the post the hook I6 is first inserted through an opening II in the web and the clip drawn around the front of the post and over the fence wire l9, as shown in Fig. 3. The free end of the clip is then drawn around the rear flange l3 and hooked over the latter flange, as shown in Fig. 4. The clip and the post are'so proportioned that when the end of the clip is hooked on the flange I3, there is a considerable space between the adjacent edge of the flange and the body of the hook, and in this position of the clip the wire I9 is held relatively loosely between the front face of flange I2 and the part l8 of the clip. By reason of this initial loosenss,

the clip may be applied in the position shown with relatively little effort. a

In order to tighten the clip around the post, the hook 20 is hammered toward the front flange l2, as shown in Fig. 5. During the hammering operation, the body of the hook acts asa lever fulcruming on the end of the hook about the inner face 2| of flange I3 so as to draw the clip tightly around the post. When the hook 20is bent to its final position, shown in Fig. 1, it maintains the clip under high tension and causes thepart I 8 thereof to press firmly against the wire I9, so that the latter is prevented from rubbing against the clip and the front face of the post. 7

The new clip is of simple construction and because of the hook 20 and the coacting surface 2| on the rear flange, any looseness of the 'clip may be easily taken up by simply bending the hook inwardly around the rear' flange. In the final position of the hook 20, it lies almost entirely within the space between the flanges l2 and I3, and accordingly the hook is protected by the-flanges against breakage. V V c g I claim; 7 I

I. A fence comprising a post having a vertical .web and vertical flanges at opposite ends of the webextending generally perpendicular thereto, a fence wire lying against the outer face of one flange, and a clip having a hook at one end projecting through an opening in the web, the clip extending from the hook along one side of the web and along saidfaoe over the fence wire and then along the opposite side of the web and over the other flange, the clip having another hook at the opposite end engaged with the innerv face of the second flange and bent aroundsaid last flange toward the first flange on the end. of

,web to secure one'end of the clip to the post, the

clip being adapted to extend from the hook along one side of the post and across said face over the fence wire and then along the other side of the post and over the other flange, the clip having another hook at the opposite end engageable at its end with the inner face of the second flange and adapted to be bent around said last flange toward the first flange on said end of the hook as a pivot.

3. In a fence comprising a post and a fence wire adjacent the front face of the post, a clip secured at one end to the post'forholding the wire on the post, the clip extending from said first end along said front face adjacent the wire :and then along one side of the post and. over the rear edge thereof and having a hook at its end,

' the end portion of the hook being bent inwardly flange toward the first flange on said extremity toward the post and engaged at its extremity .with the post, and the hook being bent out of alignment with the adjacent body of the clip on said extremity as a pivot to tighten the clip on the post.

4. Ina fence comprising a post having a vertical web and a flange at oneend of the, web a forming the front facejof the post, and a fence Wir'eIlyingi againstsaidface, a clip secured at one end to the post and extending along said face over the fence wire and then along one side of'the web and over the rear edge of the post, the opposite end portion of the clip being bent inwardly toward 'the post'in the form of a hook and "being engaged at its extremity withone side of the web jand the hook being'bent out of alignment withv the adjacent body of the clip on said extremity as agpivot' to draw the clip tightly around the'post. I a

5. In a fence com ramga D 81? having a vertical web and vertical flanges at opposite ends of the web extending generally perpendicular thereto, and a fence wireilying against-the outer face of one flange,' a clip secured: at one end to the post and extending along said face over'the fence wire and then along one side of the web and over the other flange, the opposite end portion of theclip being bent inwardly toward the post in the form of a hook andbeing engaged at its extremity. with the inner face of the second flange, and the hook being bent around said last of the hook as a pivot to draw the clip tightly around the post.

6. In a fence comprising a post and a fence wire adjacentthe. front face of the post, a 'clip for holding the wire on the'post and having one end secured to the post, the clip extending from said first end along said front face adjacent the wire and then along one side of the post and over the rear edgethere of. the, clip having .a hookat its end,, the free 'end'ofthe hook extending inwardly toward the post and being'engaged at its extremity with the post, and thehook -beingbent toward thefront of the post onsaid .extremity'as a pivot to tighten the clip on the post.- DONAL-DC. GARDNERQ 

